Latest update February 14th, 2025 8:22 AM
Expanding economic activities in interior posing a problem for police
– Crime Chief
The expansion of economic activities in Guyana’s hinterland is placing a heavy burden on the police force, resulting in an increase in criminal activities in the interior.
This is according to Crime Chief Seelall Persaud.
Speaking last Thursday at the Police Officers’ Mess, Persaud told the media and members of the private sector that since economic activities are going up in virgin interior areas, policing the interior has become very difficult.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud
“People move to locations where there was no one before, so our arrangements that we had previously to police the interior cannot work now,” the Crime Chief said.
He explained that this puts a great strain on the police in terms of resources, new methods and collaboration.
To date, Guyana has recorded 139 murders reported as against 99 for the same period in 2007 and when one takes into account the massacre of 12 persons at Bartica and eight miners at Lindo Creek, it is easy to conclude that the police interior divisions (E&F) accounted for the most murders so far this year with a whopping 37.
This is in addition to several reports of mass robberies on mining camps.
Kaieteur News understands that with regards to investigating murders in the interior, the police sometimes have to travel by boat for days to reach a location, by which time the crime scene may be compromised and the suspects often vanish.
And with the gun trade proliferating in Guyana, policing the interior, where it is believed most of the trade is flourishing, is increasingly becoming more important.
Acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene had stated that the Guyana Police Force is working on a plan to penetrate the gun-running gangs that are smuggling weapons into the country.
He told a press conference last Friday that the Force has been trying for some time to rein in the gangs, but with limited success.
“We are having difficulty in penetrating the gun group, those who are bringing weapons into this country and trading in weapons,” the Top Cop told journalists.
“We have tried all sorts of different tactics and we have not had much success. These guys are very careful with how they operate. But we are working on something and we are hoping to have some success.”
However, the acting Commissioner declined to say whether he believes that the gun smugglers are linked to the drug trade.
High-powered weapons such as AK-47 assault rifles began to surface in increasing numbers in the wake of the crime wave that began in 2002.
The origin of many of the weapons has never been traced.
Meanwhile the Crime Chief said that it is very difficult to control crime given the current system of bail in Guyana.
According to the Crime Chief, fundamental to the values of our society is a justice system that presumes that a person is innocent until found guilty.
However, he pointed out that several persons who have been charged with serious criminal offences appear before the court for a similar offence, having been granted bail previously.
“So you catch one, they are charged and before the trial is completed, they get bail and they come out, you catch them again, charge them again and then they get bail again,” the Crime Chief lamented.
He said that this amounts to a lot of frustration and a situation which is difficult to control.
While bail is not meant to be punitive, several persons are remanded when prosecutors argue that the offences for which they are before the court is prevalent.
Most magistrates are obliged to favour the prosecution in such cases, however defence attorneys move to the high court and very often secure bail for their clients.
According to a senior police official who requested anonymity, most of those granted bail for offences such as robbery under arms do not return to court and would invariably continue to commit similar offences.
“The next time you see them is when they are killed in confrontations with the security forces,” the official told this newspaper.
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